Businesses on the move

Business development

Shopko announced plans to close 39 stores nationwide. Its Mauston store is the only one closing in Wisconsin. Kroger Co. announced it is purchasing a portion of Shopko Inc.’s pharmacy business, in a move that means Shopko Pharmacy customers in Wisconsin will have their prescriptions moved to a Kroger-owned grocery store.

Green Bay-based brand solutions company Elevate97 purchased advertising agency KHROME, which was founded by the late Jim Rivett. KHROME will continue to operate as an advertising agency and will serve its portfolio of clients from its current North Broadway offices while integrating with Elevate97 operations.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. awarded the City of Brillion a $500,000 grant to help finance demolition work on the Brillion Iron Works site. AriensCo. plans to use part of the site
for a new research and development facility for the company.

Associated Bank is purchasing the Wisconsin branch operations of The Huntington National Bank, a subsidiary of Huntington Bancshares Inc., for an estimated $34 million.

The U.S. Army placed a $1.69 billion order with Oshkosh Defense, LLC for 6,107 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles and associated installed and packaged kits.

Mercury Marine opened its new 20,000-square-foot, $10 million Noise, Vibration and Harshness Technical Center in Fond du Lac.

Aurora BayCare announced plans to build a new clinic, ambulatory surgery center and urgent care center near Interstate 41 and Highway 55 in Kaukauna. The facility is expected to open in summer 2020 and will offer services including outpatient surgery, urgent care, primary care and specialty care. Aurora Health also announced a plan to raise its minimum wage to $15 per hour over the next three years.

Investment banking firm Taureau Group LLC announced that owners and managing directors Ann Hanna and Corey Vanderpoel have entered into an agreement to purchase the shares of Taureau Group that had been owned by Schenck, a CPA and consulting firm, with the transaction expected to close Jan. 1.

Sadoff Iron & Metal Co. will change the focus of its Oshkosh business from scrap metal to electronics recycling and data destruction.

Oshkosh-based Pyxsee, a startup company that offers a social media aggregating and monitoring app, has changed its name to Balance and added new features. The retooled app will launch in mid-January.

Paper Transport Inc. announced a pay increase for select Class A CDL regional, dedicated and local fleets. PTI’s Dedicated Regional Southeast truck drivers will receive a 2- to 3-cent pay increase. Select Midwest Dedicated truck drivers will receive a 3-cent pay increase, and Wisconsin local hourly truck drivers will see raises between 50 cents and $1.50 per hour.

DealerSocket Inc., which includes operations in Oshkosh, announced the company has invested millions of additional dollars in its inventory management solution over the past several months.

Oshkosh’s Bee Bella Lip Balm is now sold at Whole Foods Market.

Candeo Creative founder Zack Pawlosky sold the company to Sheng Riechers, who previously served as vice president of the company.

Business comings and goings

The Connective, a new business that caters to the needs of female entrepreneurs, opened in downtown De Pere.

Appleton Downtown Inc. moved into a new office in the Red Lion Hotel Paper Valley.

Poke the Bear bar and restaurant opened in the Hotel Northland.

Lawyers and staff formerly of the law firm Hesson & Birtch, LLC in Neenah have joined von Briesen & Roper.

Foundations Health & Wholeness Inc. opened an office in Sheboygan for its foster care program.

Metal Art of Wisconsin, a maker of patriotic steel and wood flags, moved to a new location in Manitowoc.

Education news

Lakeland University completed a $9 million renovation of its Younger Family Campus Center on its main campus in Sheboygan County. The renovation included additional meeting, study and lounge spaces as well as new food and drink options.

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Sheboygan Campus Small Business Development Center now offers a Supervisory Leadership Certificate.

The Rec Plex South Field reopened at UW-Oshkosh. The school also added a K9 service animal to its university police team.

Marian University added the flag of the Iroquois Confederacy to its display of international flags in the Cardinal Meyer Library.

Awards/recognitions/milestone

Schneider received the 2018 New North Workplace Excellence Award from New North Inc.

The Mid-America Economic Development Council presented New North Inc. with its Marketing Program award, large division for the organization’s Wisconsin Supply Chain Marketplace tool. New North was recognized in the January 2019 issue of Site Selection magazine.

The NEW Manufacturing Alliance received the Association for Career and Technical Education Business-Education Partnership Award. NEWMA Director Ann Franz accepted the award on the organization’s behalf.

Oshkosh Corp. was named a Glassdoor Best Place to Work. The company rated 65 out of the top 100 largest companies.

The Wellness Council of America presented Well Workplace Awards to several New North companies. Platinum awards: Aurora Health Care, Goodwill Industries NCW, J. J. Keller & Associates, Lawrence University and ThedaCare; gold awards: Menasha Corp., Appleton Area School District, Silver Star Brands, Verve, a Credit Union and Faith Technologies; silver award: McClone Agency; and small business award: United Way Fox Cities.

The Fox West Chamber of Commerce honored businesses at its annual awards banquet: The Grand Meridian, Service Business of the Year; The Meat Block, Retail Business of the Year; Enchanted Florist, New Business of the Year; and the Greenville Lions, Community Service of the Year.

Lakeshore Technical College was selected from more than 1,000 entries as a top 10 Bellwether Award finalist in the workforce development category for its MicroMatch Upskilling program.

Northeast Wisconsin Technical College presented Aurora Health Care with its Alumni Employer of the Year award, which recognizes an employer’s commitment to technical education.

Employ Humanity presented Sargento Foods with its Excellence Award. The award recognizes employers committed to the comprehensive well-being of employees, industry and community.

Security Choice named Appleton, Oshkosh, Fond du Lac and Sheboyganto its list of Top 25 Safest Cities for families.

Marco achieved HPE Platinum Partner status.

The Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region received accreditation with the nation’s highest standard for philanthropic excellence, the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations, which establishes legal, ethical, effective practices for community foundations everywhere.

CAP Services named Little Food Co. of Kaukauna the winner of its 3rd Annual Business Growth and Readiness Grant contest. CAP Services and its partners award the $1,000 grant each year through a competitive application process to a local business looking to grow and expand.

SRC Technologies was named to the 2018 CRN Next-Gen 250 list, an annual list that identifies IT solution providers that have embraced emerging technologies and are setting the pace for the rest of the channel in their adoption.

B2B research, ratings and reviews company Clutch named Ledgeview Partners to its Global Leaders 2018 list, recognizing its excellence as an IT and business service company.

Appleton International Airport saw a 20 percent increase in passengers in October compared to the same month a year prior.

The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit organization focused on health care quality and safety, gave an “A” rating to Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center.

In honor of Small Business Saturday, Rubicon Global, an Atlanta-based provider of waste, recycling and smart city solutions, named Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant & Butik of Sister Bay as the Best Small Business in America, based on public voting. As the winner, the business received $10,000.

Ripon Printers and its client, Lake County Press, won a Silver Award in the Sappi 2018 Printer of the Year contest for an Indy 500 commemorative book.

The Mid-America Economic Development Council named the Foxconn Technology Group development its Economic Impact Deal of the Year.

Great Northern StrataGraph received four Excellence Awards in the general category at the North American Paperboard Packaging Competition.

Charitable giving and grants

Valley Transit received an estimated $7.68 million from Wisconsin’s Department of Administration and the Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Environmental Mitigation Trust.

HSHS St. Vincent Cancer Research Institute received a $31,724 grant from St. Baldrick’s Foundation to help patients in Northeast Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula fight childhood cancer.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Fox Valley received a $100,000 matching gift challenge from three families in the Fox Cities community. All gifts received, up to $100,000, by Dec.31 were matched dollar for dollar as part of the challenge.

The Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts received a $10,000 grant from the Oberreich Foundation to support its Studio 51, which offers arts classes.

The J. J. Keller Foundation, a fund within the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation, committed to a $15,000 matching gift to encourage others to join it in supporting mental health counseling clients served by Foundations Health & Wholeness Inc. The match challenge goes through Feb. 8.

Oshkosh Corp. sponsored a Salvation Army Red Kettle match day and matched all donations up to $25,000.